The Congressman Elect tells the KDKA Radio Afternoon News, “Historically I have always won elections in Democrat districts because I really run on my platform.”

“I am the one that’s running to limit government, grow jobs, grow the economy, fight the opioid epidemic and expand mental health care in the US; so I think voters can really resonate with me and my platform that is pro economic growth.”

Reschenthaler also says he sees areas where Republicans and Democrats can work together.

One of those areas would be infrastructure, “We need roads, we need bridges, and in this district we particularly need work on our locks and dams.”

Virtually every member of Congress has talked about infrastructure as has the President. But there's been no agreement on how to pay for it.

The 35-year-old Reschenthaler thinks the two parties can also come together on the opioid epidemic and workforce development.

Reschenthaler says, “I would definitely like to shift the focus to treatment. So for example when I was a district judge if I had somebody that came before me and I would order a metal health screening and a substance abuse screening, if that person screened for either of the two I’d always try to get them treatment because I’d rather someone get treatment and have a bed in a treatment center rather than a cot in a jail cell.”

“The economics of this is staggering. It costs about thirty thousand to have someone in prison for a year, we could do an out-patient treatment for well under that amount and make sure the person is still working, paying taxes and contributing to society.”